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Retrieve Apex Type Information with the Symbols Resource (Beta)

Use the Apex Symbol API to retrieve detailed metadata for built-in, custom, packaged, and dynamic Apex types, including classes, interfaces, enums, methods, and triggers. Available in API version 68.0 and later. This resource requires the Author Apex org permission and the View Setup user permission.

Syntax

Apex Symbol API is a pilot or beta service that is subject to the Beta Services Terms at Agreements and Terms or a written Unified Pilot Agreement if executed by Customer, and applicable terms in the Product Terms Directory. Use of this pilot or beta service is at the Customer's sole discretion.

Important

URI: /services/data/vXX.X/tooling/symbols/
HTTPS Method: GET
Authentication: Authorization: Bearer token
Format: JSON

Request Query Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`category`	String	Required. The category of Apex types to retrieve. Possible values are: `builtin`-standard Apex types, such as types in the System, Database, and Messaging namespaces. `database`-custom and packaged Apex types. `dynamic`-dynamic Apex types.
`namespace`	String	Optional. Filters the results to a specific namespace. To retrieve only types in the local org namespace, pass an empty string (`namespace=`). If this parameter is omitted, Apex types from all namespaces in the category are returned.
`name`	String	Optional. Filters the results to the specified Apex type name. If both `namespace` and `name` are specified, the results must match both conditions.

Name

Type

Description

category

String

Required. The category of Apex types to retrieve.

Possible values are:

builtin-standard Apex types, such as types in the System, Database, and Messaging namespaces.
database-custom and packaged Apex types.
dynamic-dynamic Apex types.

namespace

String

Optional. Filters the results to a specific namespace. To retrieve only types in the local org namespace, pass an empty string (namespace=). If this parameter is omitted, Apex types from all namespaces in the category are returned.

name

String

Optional. Filters the results to the specified Apex type name. If both namespace and name are specified, the results must match both conditions.

Request Body Properties

None.

Response Body Properties

Name	Type	Description
`typeStubs`	Object[]	An array of Apex types. Each object describes one Apex class, interface, enum, or trigger, including members such as fields, properties, methods, annotations, and documentation when available.

Each object in the typeStubs array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The developer name of the Apex type stub.
`namespacePrefix`	String	The namespace of the Apex type, or `null` if the type doesn't have a namespace.
`kind`	String	The kind of Apex type. Possible values are `CLASS`, `INTERFACE`, `ENUM`, and `TRIGGER`.
`modifiers`	String[]	The modifiers applied to the type, such as `public`, `global`, `virtual`, or `abstract`.
`annotations`	Object[]	The annotations applied to the type, such as `AuraEnabled`, `IsTest`, or `NamespaceAccessible`.
`superClass`	Object	A type reference for the superclass, or `null` if the type doesn't have a superclass.
`interfaces`	Object[]	Type references for interfaces implemented by the type.
`fields`	Object[]	The fields declared on the type. A field is a variable declared at the type level instead of inside a method.
`properties`	Object[]	The properties declared on the type.
`methods`	Object[]	The methods and constructors declared on the type.
`innerTypes`	Object[]	Nested Apex types declared within the type. Each nested type uses the same structure as a top-level type stub.
`triggerOperations`	String[]	For triggers, the trigger operations, such as `BEFORE UPDATE`. The value is `null` for non-trigger types.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the type. For built-in types, this property can include official usage guidance. For custom types, this property can include ApexDoc comments. In API version 68.0, ApexDoc comments from managed packages aren't returned.
`triggerObjectType`	Object	For triggers, a type reference for the sObject that the trigger is defined on. The value is `null` for non-trigger types.
`compileError`	String	A compilation error message if symbol extraction encountered a compile error for the type; otherwise, `null`.

Annotations Array Properties

Each object in an annotations array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The annotation name.
`parameters`	Object[]	The annotation parameters.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the annotation, if available.

Annotation Parameters Array Properties

Each object in an annotation parameters array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The parameter name.
`type`	Object	A type reference for the parameter type.
`value`	String	The parameter value.

Fields Array Properties

Each object in the fields array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The field name.
`type`	Object	A type reference for the field type.
`modifiers`	String[]	The field modifiers.
`annotations`	Object[]	The field annotations.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the field, if available.
`definingType`	Object	A type reference for the Apex type that originally declares this field. This property is set only for inherited fields and is omitted when the field is declared directly on the enclosing type.

Properties Array Properties

Each object in the properties array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The property name.
`type`	Object	A type reference for the property type.
`modifiers`	String[]	The property modifiers.
`annotations`	Object[]	The property annotations.
`getter`	Object	Present if the property has a `get` accessor. The object includes a `modifiers` array and a `documentation` property.
`setter`	Object	Present if the property has a `set` accessor. The object includes a `modifiers` array and a `documentation` property.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the property, if available.
`definingType`	Object	A type reference for the Apex type that originally declares this property. This property is set only for inherited properties and is omitted when the property is declared directly on the enclosing type.

Methods Array Properties

Each object in the methods array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The method or constructor name.
`isConstructor`	Boolean	`true` if the member is a constructor; otherwise, `null`.
`returnType`	Object	A type reference for the return type. The value is `null` for constructors.
`modifiers`	String[]	The method modifiers.
`annotations`	Object[]	The method annotations.
`parameters`	Object[]	The method parameters.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the method, if available.
`definingType`	Object	A type reference for the Apex type that originally declares this method. This property is set only for inherited methods and is omitted when the method is declared directly on the enclosing type.

Methods Parameter Array Properties

Each object in a method parameters array can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`name`	String	The parameter name.
`type`	Object	A type reference for the parameter type.
`annotations`	Object[]	The parameter annotations.
`documentation`	String	Documentation for the parameter, if available.

Type Reference Properties

Several response properties use a nested type reference object instead of returning a type as a string. This structure separates the type into parts that developer tools can consume.

Type references appear in these properties:

superClass
Objects in the interfaces array
The type property of a field or property
A method's returnType property
The definingType property of an inherited field, method, or property
A parameter's type property
triggerObjectType

Each type reference object can include these properties.

Name	Type	Description
`namespacePrefix`	String	The namespace of the referenced type, or `null` if the type doesn't have a namespace.
`name`	String	The name of the referenced type.
`typeParameters`	Object[]	Type references for generic type arguments, such as `String` in `List<String>`. The value is `null` if the type isn't parameterized.

Usage

Use the Apex Symbol API to build tools that:

Provide code completion with full generic type support. For example, List<Account> displays with readable type parameters instead of internal encoding.
Display official documentation for built-in types, including usage guidance and examples.
Display ApexDoc comments for custom types.
Show constructor signatures with parameter types, annotations, and modifiers.
Identify trigger operations, such as before insert and after update, without parsing source code.
Access type information across all standard Apex namespaces, such as the System, Database, and Messaging namespaces.

Considerations

The API enforces a concurrency limit of one request per org. If a request is in progress and a second request is made for the same org, the second request fails. Avoid parallel calls to this API from the same org.
In API version 68.0, ApexDoc comments from managed packages aren't returned. Packaged ApexDoc comments for global identifiers are planned for a later API version.

Example

Example Request: Retrieve the built-in ApexPages type in the System namespace.

1GET "https://MyDomain.my.salesforce.com/services/data/v68.0/tooling/symbols?category=builtin&namespace=System&name=ApexPages"

Example Response Body (excerpt)

1{
2  "typeStubs": [
3    {
4      "name": "ApexPages",
5      "namespacePrefix": "System",
6      "kind": "CLASS",
7      "modifiers": [
8        "global"
9      ],
10      "annotations": [],
11      "superClass": null,
12      "interfaces": [],
13      "fields": [],
14      "properties": [],
15      "methods": [
16        {
17          "name": "addMessage",
18          "isConstructor": null,
19          "returnType": {
20            "namespacePrefix": null,
21            "name": "void",
22            "typeParameters": null
23          },
24          "modifiers": [
25            "global",
26            "static"
27          ],
28          "annotations": [],
29          "parameters": [
30            {
31              "name": "message",
32              "type": {
33                "namespacePrefix": "ApexPages",
34                "name": "Message",
35                "typeParameters": null
36              },
37              "annotations": [],
38              "documentation": ""
39            }
40          ],
41          "documentation": "Add a message to the current page context."
42        }
43      ],
44      "innerTypes": [],
45      "triggerOperations": null,
46      "documentation": "Use ApexPages to add and check for messages associated...",
47      "triggerObjectType": null,
48      "compileError": null
49    }
50  ]
51}

Tooling API

Retrieve Apex Type Information with the Symbols Resource (Beta)

Syntax

Request Query Parameters

Request Body Properties

Response Body Properties

Annotations Array Properties

Annotation Parameters Array Properties

Fields Array Properties

Properties Array Properties

Methods Array Properties

Methods Parameter Array Properties

Type Reference Properties

Usage

Considerations

Example